1. Field of the Invention
Devices, systems, and methods consistent with the invention relate to a measurement of energy imparted to a weld.
2. Description of the Related Art
The mechanical properties of a weld are related in part to the amount of energy input to the weld and the cooling rate of the workpiece material. If the amount of energy input to a weld is known, this value may be used in conjunction with the known cooling rate of the workpiece material to determine the mechanical properties of the weld for quality control purposes.
The amount of energy input to a weld is directly related to the voltage (V) and current (I) used to create the weld. In older related art systems voltage and current values do not widely vary during welding operations. Thus, in these systems, the amount of energy input into a weld may be measured using average voltage and current values, or RMS voltage and current values.
Unfortunately, many current welding processes have relatively complex output characteristics, which cause voltage (V) and current (I) values to be widely varied during welding operations. For these systems, averages or RMS determinations of voltage and current values are no longer acceptably accurate for determining the amount of energy input to welds. Accordingly, an accurate, simple and effective measurement of energy input to a particular weld is desired.